I don't mind growing old. I'm just not used to it. (Victor Borge)
Well, it's hard to believe it's been over 2 years since I've written a RWA post. I used to crank these out weekly, and enjoyed doing them because I like running and I like writing so I just figured I would combine the two and see if I could get somebody to read whatever I could figuratively put down on paper. After (just about) 2 years of weekly posts of my doings and thoughts, I just sorta hung it up for a while because the brain had run dry and I didn't want to subject those few of you that were reading RWA to my dwindling mileage and whining that even I hated. However, I continued running and I would occasionally run into other runners on the road, or on the trail, who would sometimes ask "When are you going to write RWA again?". My answer would usually be "My running isn't interesting enough". You see, gradually, I just got slower, my miles decreased significantly, and although I still would get out there and enjoy it, there was literally nothing new. I'd still race some, but I usually don't like to write race reports, especially when it's not really a "race", but a trot in the woods at the same time a lot of other runners are trotting much faster way ahead of me. So, RWA took a nap.
Anyway, just for fun, as this month marks my 40th anniversary of consistent running, I thought I'd take a stab at writing a celebratory post of what's been going on with Al (at least in the running world)...and see if anybody reads it.
In a nutshell, I have always been active growing up living in New Jersey. In High School, I played soccer and baseball. I loved those sports (still do), but the one aspect I HATED was the running. It was punishment..."Hey DiMicco, you're out of position. Take a lap", "Hey DiMicco, you let that ball go through your legs. Take a lap". "Hey DiMicco, don't swing at pitches over your head. Take a lap". My defense at that last dig was I wasn't tall, so the pitch was closer to the ground than other player's heads. Had to take another lap for being a smartass. Well, I never played enough to earn a High School letter (do they even still have those?). So, comes the last sports season of my senior year and I knew if I went out for baseball again, I'd just sit on the bench. I knew I could run (if I had to), so I went out for track. That's like somebody who hates cold weather moving to Alaska! Anyway, at first I ran the 440 (this was the 60's, so this was yards, not 400 meters) and then the 880. I couldn't believe some guys that actually ran a mile...at one time...without stopping or throwing up! I hated the 440 because it was like four 100-yd dashes tacked together without a break. I did ok for about 300 yards, and then my legs started screaming "I can't breathe". Compared to that torture, the 880 was a long distance endurance event that I could pace a little, so I "enjoyed" it more. I got the letter...gave it to a girl...broke up with the girl...got the letter back...not sure where it is now.
Now, we fast forward through the next 15 or so years. Moved to Birmingham, Alabama. Went to Physical Therapy School, got married, had a son, worked, and generally tried to stay active but consumed more calories than I burned, and developed a significant "pudge" (50 pounds worth). Then, on August 4, 1978, my mom passed away. Four days later, I found myself on the UAB track...not sure why. It just seemed like running might help my pudge and get my mind settled. I ran one mile on that rectangle track and felt pretty good about myself. "That wasn't too bad. Let's run another one!!". No problem...the next day I couldn't walk! And so my running journey began.
It was a rather rapid progression with my running with 10k's (no 5k's in the 70's) and a half marathon or two. Then, 14 months after that first UAB mile, I ran the old Vulcan Marathon. I did 3:14 and was hooked. The real transformation came about in '81 when I amped my mileage up and for some god-forsaken reason did the Mississippi 50 mile Run in Leland, Miss...36 times around a 1.37 mile park loop!! 6 weeks later I ran the Strolling Jim 41.2 Mile Run in Tennessee. Hard to explain the high I got from pushing myself to go distances I never dreamed of. I was having a party...I just don't know who invited Father Time to my party!
I don't want to go into the whole running history (that's even boring to me), but, thus far, I've done 151 marathons/ultras, run almost 86,000 miles, did Boston 5 times, seven 100 mile runs, and run from point A to point B in many states and several countries. I've run in 5 decades, and if I make it 18 more months, I'll make six!
I've met the most friendly, kind, and giving people anybody could ask for. I've run for hours piled on hours and miles upon miles with groups that I've coached or Pace Groups that I've led in Marathons. I've run for hours piled on hours and miles upon miles with some great friends where we talked and laughed for many hours. And I've run for hours piled on hours and miles upon miles where it was just me...all were wonderful.
I've pushed to what I thought was the outer fringes of my limit, and I've constantly found those fringes had new limits. David Goggins (a former Navy Seal who I have followed for years) says when you think you've reached your limit, you're about 40% done. I used to think that was pure garbage, but his mantra pushes me even now...that along with MY mantra for 40 years...Every Step Is a Step Closer.
When you're older than the Harry Truman administration, maybe things are catching up. When you've run more miles than 3 times around the Earth, maybe things are catching up. When you've averaged almost 4 marathons/ultramarathons per year for 40 years, maybe things are catching up. All I can say is "Well, shoot!"...I don't like things catching up!
My current mile pace for one mile on a flat paved road is SLOWER than the pace I've run 100 miles in the past! Geez!!!!
So, where am I now? I still love to get out on the trails on an early morning. Well, you know what? A 15 minute mile is still as far as a 7 minute mile, and an hour is still 60 minutes, and a 50k is still 31 miles! So, I take that 15 minutes to run that mile, use up all those 60 minutes to fill the hour, and watch those 31 miles roll by slowly on my GPS. Yes, things take longer, but the alternative is don't do it, and that ain't gonna cut it.
Yeah, it's harder to get through those long runs because you just don't glide through them anymore. I think one of the things I miss most are the stray thoughts I would have while running. I could solve all the problems in the world while running, but even in my younger days, by the time I finished my run, I forgot those solutions. Running takes a lot more effort now, and it doesn't give my mind a chance to wonder....watch that root, run through that creek instead of jumping it, here comes a hill, walking feels good, etc.
I don't really train anymore. My pace is the same no matter what. When a race is coming up, my emphasis of training is getting familiar with the course. That doesn't always work because when "raceday" comes along, I don't know what's in store. Somedays my body responds by moving forward fairly smoothly and somedays it's "failure to launch".
I still love to get involved in a "race" (God knows I need another shirt), but I look for races with HUGE cutoff times, get the geriatric "early start", or run the (one-loop) shorter distances and race the guys doing the full two-loop distance. I hardly run roads anymore, but love to be on a trail with runable hills. If I'm on a course with these killer inclines, I know I look like those Discovery Channel clips of guys about to summit Everest...take a step, pant pant pant, take a step, pant pant pant. I've learned to talk to myself a lot, as in "What the hell are you doing?".
So there we are with the current state of Running With Al...much less ultras, much less miles, much less zip in the legs. But, I have just as much addiction to the sport, if that's what you want to call it, and just as much gratefulness for being able to lace 'em up a couple of times a week and get my Hokas dirty, get myself sweaty, and no matter how slow I am, I'm still Running With Al.
I hope to find some things interesting enough to write about at least monthly...we'll see. Glad I'm back, but I never really went anywhere. Meanwhile, I hope to see you all on the roads and Trails - Al
23 hours ago
